2. Smoking Smoking is one of the leading causes of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases today. Smokers will give many different reasons why they smoke such as being stressed out, peer pressure, addicted to nicotine or they think it’s cool. No one should engage in smoking, it not only affects your lungs it affects the way your body functions. Healthy lungs should be valued as an asset to everyone because breathing is a way of life.
4. History of Smoking The epidemic of smoking is believed to have begun as early as 5000 BC in many different cultures around the world. (Gately, 2003) Early smoking evolved in association with religious ceremonies as offerings to deities, in cleansing rituals or to allow shamans and priests to alter the minds for purposes of divination of spiritual enlightenment. (Coe, 1994) The smoking tobacco epidemic spread quickly to the rest of the world. Smoking introduced a new type of social activity and a form of drug intake. The smoking of tobacco, as well as various hallucinogenic drugs used to achieve trances to come into contact with the spirit world. Smoking was an essential component of Muslim society and culture and became integrated with important traditions such as weddings, funerals, and was expressed in architecture, clothing, literature and poetry. (Gilman & Xun, 2004)
5. The Risks of Smoking The more cigarettes you smoke in a day, and the longer you’ve smoked, the higher your risk of lung cancer. The risk of contracting mouth cancer is four times higher than a non smoker. Cancer can start in the mouth underneath the tongue or on the lips. Smoking also increases the risk of periodontal disease, which causes swollen gums, bad breath and teeth to fall out. It causes an acid taste in the mouth and contributes to the development of ulcer. Smoking can also cause bladder cancer, cancer of the oesophagus, cancer of the kidneys, cancer of the pancreas, and cervical cancer.
6. Effects of Smoking Other diseases that can be caused by smoking are vascular stenosis, heart attacks, asthma, emphysema and chronic obstruction pulmonary disease. Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death due to smoking. Hardening of the arteries is a process that develops over years, when cholesterol and other fats deposit in the arteries, leaving them narrow, blocked or rigid. When the arteries narrow, blood clots will form. Smoking accelerates the hardening and narrowing process in your arteries, it starts earlier and blood clots are two to four times more likely. A blood clot in the arteries supplying the heart, which can lead to heart attack. Smoking raises blood pressure, which can cause hypertension resulting in heart attack and stroke. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a collective term for a group of conditions that block airflow and make breathing more difficult. Chronic means long term, not severe. Smoking is the most common cause of COPD and is responsible for majority of the cases. COPD typically starts between the ages of 35 and 45 when lung function starts to decline. Lung damage from COPD is permanent, but giving up smoking at any stage reduces the rate of decline in lung capacity. Smoking worsens asthma and counteracts asthma medication by worsening the inflammation of the airways that the medicine tries to ease. Emphysema is breathlessness caused by damages to the air sacs (alveoli). Chronic bronchitis is coughing with a lot of mucus that continues for at least three months.
7. Other Effects of Smoking Smoking affects your appearance it stains your teeth and causes you to have paler skin and more wrinkles. Smoking reduces the blood supply to the skin and lowers levels of vitamin A. Some smokers have fertility problems. Women should not smoke while they are pregnant; it causes babies to be born prematurely, with a low birth weight and also to have birth defects. Infants under two years old are more prone to severe respiratory infections and cot death. Children who grow up in a home where one or both of their parents smoke have twice the risk of getting asthma and asthmatic bronchitis. They also have a higher risk of developing allergies. Smoker run the risk of getting cataracts and heavy smokers are twice as likely to get macular degeneration, resulting in gradual loss of eyesight. Diseases related to smoking are the major killers today and are the major causes of premature death in industrialized countries.(Iverson, 2002)
9. Breathing Apparatus Breathing apparatuses helps an individual to breathe in cases where they have damaged their lungs. A breathing machine is a piece of equipment that facilitates breathing in the case of low oxygen levels in the blood stream. It aids the body to overcome the inability to breath normally, such as during respiratory failure. Many people suffer from affliction such as asthmatic conditions, lung cancer and chronic obstructive lung disease. Breathing machines help people with lung problems carry on a more normal life. The type of breathing machines used varies according to the problem. Asthma nebulizers help people who suffer from asthma by delivering liquid medication via a mist, which is inhaled into the lungs through this machine. Nebulizers are used in the home and are effective in delivering asthma medications to adults and children. BIPAP (bilevel positive airway pressure) breathing machine aids patients to breathe normally. It pushes air into the lungs by keeping the lungs open and thus allowing more oxygen to enter. The machine is small and can be used at the bedside at home. A face mask is worn and supplies the needed pressure to keep the patient breathing in and out so oxygen enters the air sacs within the lungs. A respirator assists the patient in breathing and treats diseases while delivering oxygen. People with asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, bronchitis, and other respiratory diseases benefit from the respirator. It supplies pure oxygen to the person’s heart and lungs. It is a small suitcase that contains a small bottle of water for humidification of the oxygen and a battery pack, which, can be used in automobile and can be charged within the home. The oxygen concentrator delivers pure oxygen via a mask or nasal cannula, a small prolonged tube that is placed in both nostrils. It may be used for oxygen therapy and in hyperbaric chambers. Oxygen therapy delivers pure oxygen into the lungs and heart of the person and raises it to a level that will aid the person by giving them a sense of well being. Some people need this therapy at night to help them with dropped oxygen levels which are caused by chronic lung conditions. Even after having to use any one of these machines smokes still feel the need to smoke, only thinking of their addiction and not their health.(livestrong.com)
11. Quitting Quitting smoking is not as easy as it may sound. Many people have tried numerous times to quit smoking and have been unsuccessful because they feel they need it. In efforts to cut down on smoking, government has banned smoking indoors at public places. Smoking not only affects you but also everyone around you. Consider others lungs and health before you light up a cigarette. Stopping smoking is the best thing you can do to improve your health. Your sense of taste and smell will improve and your heart will be less strained and work more efficiently. Smokers who are trying to kick the habit may be disappointed to find there’s no single quit method that guarantees success. The weight of evidence suggests that smokers should set a date to stop, and do their best to quit completely from this point. On average it takes four to five attempts to give up, and there are a number of things that can help willpower. (Brandt, 2005)
12. According to the American Cancer Society, these are the changes that take place in your body when you stop smoking: Within 20 minutes Blood pressure drops to normal Pulse rate drops to normal rate Body temperature of feet and hands increases to normal After 8 Hours Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal Oxygen level in blood increase to normal After 24 Hours Chance of heart attack decreases After 48 Hours Nerve endings start regrowing Ability to smell and taste thing is enhanced After 72 Hours Bronchial tubes relax, making breathing easier Lung capacity increases Within 2 weeks to 3 months Circulation improves Walking becomes easier Lung function increases up to 30% 1 to 9 Months Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decrease Cilia regrow in lungs, increasing ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, reduce infection Body’s overall energy level increases
13. My Views on Smoking Smoking is bad for you and everyone who does it should quit. It harms your lungs and causes you to have all types of diseases. Smoking causes you to have to maybe one use machines to help you breath and even stay alive. You should treat your lungs better than you do and give yourself an opportunity to live a long healthy life with healthy lungs. Breathing is free. Smoking not only hurts you but everyone one around you like your friends, family and especially your children. Children pick up on habits from adults and other adolescents so be mindful and respect others and yourself. Let’s breathe…..Smoke free.
14. Work Cited www.livestrong.com www.americancancersociety.com www.wikipedia.com www.quitnet.com www.oxygenconcentrator.com www.jondon.com www.asthma.com www.hubpages.com Coe, Sophie D. (1994) America’s first cuisines Gately, Iain (2003) Tobacco: A Cultural History of How an exotic Plants Seduced Civilization Sander L. Gilman and Zhon Xun (2004) “Introduction” in Smoke pg. 20-21 S. Lock, L.A. Reynolds and E.M. Tansey 2nd ed. Rodopi. “Ashes to Ashes: The History of Smoking and Health.
